Consumption

The EU should only import timber and agricultural products that are produced legally, sustainably and in countries that respect communities’ rights to their land.

The EU’s appetite for commodities grown on deforested land is having a devastating effect on forests, communities, biodiversity and the climate. An area of forest the size of Portugal was lost globally between 2010 and 2015 to produce oil, meat, leather and feed for the European market.

The EU drive for increased economic growth makes it difficult to gain traction for policies to reduce consumption. None-the-less, the EU cannot halt its role in deforestation without tackling consumption of forest-risk products.

Fern aims to end EU imports of illegally produced commodities and encourage the EU to adopt more ecological farming practices. Fern works with NGO coalitions, farmers, scientists and EU policy makers to see how legislative tools such as the Common Agricultural Policy can reduce imports, and to call for new areas of EU action to help protect forests.